Child of the Shadows
by The strange princess
Summary: Because every hero-no matter how big or small-has a story behind their rise to fame.


Prologue

_The Sheikah…The Shadow Folk clan…A secretive tribe rumored to have descended from followers—called the Interlopers-of the demon lord Girham…A wise, cunning, and crafty race,_ _they excelled in the dark arts and magic…It was said by many that they were the shadows of the Hylian people themselves. For years they remained hidden, careful to never appear openly before any living person other than those of their own kind. For years they watched over the then-divided land of Hyrule, careful to keep the location of the Sacred Realm—the place where the Triforce was whispered to be held—a secret. Then the Civil Wars erupted…The land was torn asunder, destroyed by its inhabitants, by those who desired the Sacred Trinity for their own selfish desires. They killed and destroyed; they demanded and tortured, slaughtered and annihilated all; so widespread was the madness that tainted the land, that even amongst the Sheikah there were people who began to desire the sacred golden triangles for nothing but their selfish desire…_

_Seeing that the Hylian people, not to mention, some of their own kind—driven mad at the prospect of power—would do anything to gain the access to the Sacred Realm, the Sheikah had no choice but to hide their secrets and protect that which they knew. The Great Division began, and those Shadow folk who were corrupted by their evil desires separated from those who believed in upholding the will of the gods, starting a great and bloody war. Many people—both Hylian and Sheikah-died in their ill-fated quest for the Sacred Trinity, but the Shadow Folk were relentless and remained protective of one of the world's most precious secret._

_Eventually, the war ended as the Hylians realized what the dangers of possessing the Triforce could cause and the few Sheikah who still resisted were banished from the land by the Goddesses, never to be seen again. The remaining Sheikah and the people of Hyrule became one, and peace and unity was again restored to the entire land. In order to ensure that nothing like the Hyrulian Civil Wars or the Great Division ever happened again, those who remained of the Shadow Folk clan swore undying loyalty to the King and pledged their services to the Royal Family of Hyrule. Thus the Shadow Folk, the Sheikah, were bound by covenant, oath, and law to serve those of royal blood. This is the story of the Shadows of Hyrule…and beginnings of one who would one day, lend a hand in stopping a series of cataclysmic event that would change the land of Hyrule forever._

* * *

In a small house in the village of Kakariko, a young woman heaved and puffed as she strained and pushed, trying her very hardest to give birth. Her longs legs were splayed out in an open manner, and the lower half of her naked body was somewhat covered by a bloodstained sheet, almost as if it were an attempt to protect her dignity from any onlookers. It was obvious that she had been agonizing in the pains of childbirth for a while, since her crimson eyes were squelched shut and the muscles in her body spasmed violently. In front of her, another woman with greying hair messily put into a bun was reaching in to pull the baby out and acting as a midwife of sorts. She frowned at the younger woman, whose tanned skin had acquired an ashen pallor and straw blonde hair was matted with sweat. "You must push harder, Ilia. Din knows that this child must be born today, not next week." she muttered darkly, her auburn eyes narrowed in frustration. Ilia gritted her teeth and held in a cry of pain as the child slowly began the process of exiting its mother's womb. "I-I am t-trying…_hunff_…r-really hard…E-Enna…!" she snapped, crimson eyes blazing. A sudden wave of pain racked the agonizing woman's body, and Ilia screamed loudly, hot tears of pain mingling with droplets of sweat. Enna furrowed her brow and tugged some more, her forehead glinting in the dim light of the candles. "Alright, my sweet lass…just a little bit more…" she coaxed gently, doing her best to soothe the birthing woman. The young Sheikah only huffed and panted in return, forcing herself to push one more time until finally, the baby's head slipped out, followed by the rest of its body.

Almost immediately, the baby's cries filled the air as its lungs began to function for the first time, and the older woman smiled grimly. "Praise the Goddesses…It's a little girl." Enna whispered, taking care to carefully cut the umbilical cord protruding from its belly. She washed the baby and cleaned it of its birth stains, then wrapped the still-wailing child in a blanket before thrusting it into the mother's arms. The young woman looked flattened and spent, her eyes almost sunken, but her ears pricked slightly upon receiving the child. Ilia's crimson eyes searched the child's face eagerly, and she clutched it closely to her bosom. "…She…She looks lovely…Just like him…" the young woman cooed softly, slender fingers tenderly stroking the baby's cheek. At her mother's touch, the small baby stopped crying and looked up to Ilia, huge crimson eyes bright and watery with unshed tears.

Enna grunted, pulling a stool to sit her weary old form. "Aye. She has her father's features, 'tis for sure. But her eyes are yours, my lass. Make no mistake about it." she replied. For a while, neither woman spoke, trying to let the arrival of the baby sink in. Then, almost in a hesitant manner, the old Sheikah broke the silence, auburn eyes boring holes into Ilia's. "…What will you name the child?" Enna asked earnestly. Ilia looked down at the baby—who had already stopped crying and was suckling at her breast—and stroked the shock of silvery hair that covered its head as she pondered the question. "…I…I do not know, Enna. I would have named her after my husband had she been born a boy. But I do not what to name her….I cannot think of a good inheritance for my sweet child…" the younger Sheikah confessed, instinctively pulling the baby closer to her breast.

Enna snorted. "Is there not some famous or well-respected female on your side of the family whom you could name the girl after? We Shadow Folk do not discriminate in regards of the fairer sex, so surely there must be even a strong female warrior, not necessarily of high rank, whom your family revered as an ancestor! Even a great scholar would do!" she sputtered unbelievingly.

Ilia's head drooped to her bosom, her crimson eyes reflecting weariness and anger. "I do not know, Enna. There is no one. No o-" she began to snap back, cutting off at mid-sentence when a name suddenly entered her thoughts. She silently mulled it over, rolling the name in her tongue, and grimaced. "Well…perhaps there is one female ancestor warrior, my mother's grandmother. She fought against the Unbelievers during the Great Division years ago. But I don't know…I am afraid I could end up dishonoring her name…" she added, stroking the dozing girl's cheek. The older Sheikah frowned and crossed her arms, ignoring the bloodstains that littered her smock and apron. "She'll do nothing of the sort, lass! All of the Shadow Folk, young and old, learn to respect and honor their ancestors. 'Tis been that way for many generations. Give her the name and teach her its meaning; trust me my dear, she'll learn to respect the name and the history behind it." Enna shot back, auburn eyes narrowed in frustration. The young Sheikah's nose wrinkled once, as if disagreeing with the female elder's words, then sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. Perhaps the aging woman was right. "Alright, Enna. If you insist. I shall name her…Impa. My little Impa." Ilia finally replied, whispering the name to the newborn girl. Although she was deep in her sleep, the little girl-Impa-smiled.

* * *

**Hi, again people. It's me, Strange princess, the author whom probably many of you have not heard of in nearly a year. So first of all, lemme apologize. I have been pretty busy as of late, and my flash drive's been having problems. Again (for more information, please see my profile). Then my parents haven't taken me to the library recently and, well…yeah. Anyways, moving on! This is my first published Zelda story (though not the first one written) ever. Seeing how I just finished playing OoT, I decided I'd try my hand at writing a Zelda fic; specifically, a backstory for Impa, who is one of my favorite Sages in the game. So, please review, and tell me if I should continue this fic…Alright, I am out!**


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